Bath products are arguably the easiest entry point into making natural cosmetics at home. Unlike soap making, which involves working with lye, most bath products require nothing more than mixing dry ingredients together. The results are immediately usable and make excellent gifts, which is not a bad incentive for a first project.
Bath Salts: The Foundation
Bath salts are the simplest bath product you can make. At their most basic, they are coarse salt mixed with essential oils. But with a little more thought, they become something considerably better than that.
The base salt matters. Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) is the most common choice because magnesium is absorbed through the skin and helps relieve muscle tension. It is available at any Hungarian pharmacy and is inexpensive. Dead Sea salt, which contains a wider mineral profile, is a premium option. Coarse sea salt works well too, and adds exfoliating texture.
Lavender and Chamomile Relaxation Salts
This is the blend I keep by the bathtub year-round. It is calming without being cloying, and the chamomile gives it a slightly herbaceous depth that plain lavender salts lack.
Recipe
- Epsom salt: 300g
- Coarse sea salt: 100g
- Dried lavender buds: 2 tablespoons
- Dried chamomile flowers: 1 tablespoon
- Lavender essential oil: 15 drops
- Roman chamomile essential oil: 5 drops
- Sweet almond oil: 1 tablespoon
Mix the salts together in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine the sweet almond oil with the essential oils, then pour this over the salt mixture and stir thoroughly. Add the dried flowers and mix gently. Store in a glass jar with a tight lid. Use 3-4 tablespoons per bath.
Rosemary and Peppermint Energising Salts
For mornings or after exercise, this blend is invigorating. The rosemary improves circulation and the peppermint provides a cooling sensation that wakes up tired muscles.
Recipe
- Epsom salt: 400g
- Dried rosemary leaves: 2 tablespoons (crushed)
- Rosemary essential oil: 12 drops
- Peppermint essential oil: 8 drops
- Grapeseed oil: 1 tablespoon
Follow the same method as the lavender salts above. This blend is best used within three months, as the rosemary leaves can lose their fragrance over time.
Milk Baths
Milk baths have been used since antiquity. The lactic acid in milk acts as a gentle exfoliant, while the fats moisturise the skin. You do not need fresh milk. Powdered whole milk or powdered goat milk work excellently and have the advantage of being shelf-stable.
In Hungary, powdered goat milk is available at some organic shops and through online retailers. Powdered whole cow's milk is stocked by most larger supermarkets. Both produce excellent results.
Honey and Oat Milk Bath
Oats have anti-inflammatory properties and have been used in skincare for centuries. Combined with milk powder and honey, they create a bath that is both soothing and deeply moisturising. This blend is particularly good for dry or irritated skin, which is common in Hungarian winters when indoor heating strips moisture from the air.
Recipe
- Powdered whole milk: 200g
- Finely ground oats (colloidal oatmeal): 100g
- Honey powder or dried honey: 2 tablespoons
- Vanilla essential oil: 5 drops (optional)
- Dried calendula petals: 1 tablespoon (optional)
Mix all dry ingredients together. If using vanilla essential oil, stir it into the milk powder first before combining with the oats. Store in an airtight container. Use 4-5 tablespoons per bath, adding directly under running water.
Herbal Bath Soaks
A herbal bath soak is essentially a large tea bag for the bath. Herbs are placed in a muslin bag or cheesecloth pouch and steeped in the bathwater. The advantage over adding loose herbs directly is obvious: no cleanup of plant material from the drain.
Muslin bags are available at kitchen supply shops and online. Alternatively, cut squares of cheesecloth and tie them with string.
Choosing Your Herbs
The herbs available at Hungarian markets and herbal shops (gyogynovenybolt) are well-suited to bath products. Chamomile (kamilla) is the most widely available and one of the most versatile. Calendula, known locally as koromvirag, has skin-soothing properties and a beautiful golden colour. Linden flower (harsfa virag), which grows abundantly in Hungary, makes a gentle, mildly sedative bath.
Recommended Herb Combinations
- For relaxation: chamomile, lavender, linden flower
- For sore muscles: rosemary, eucalyptus, juniper berry
- For dry skin: calendula, oats, rose petals
- For congestion: thyme, peppermint, eucalyptus
Use approximately 50g of dried herbs per bath, placed in a muslin bag. Drop the bag into the water as the bath fills, and squeeze it occasionally to release more of the herbal infusion.
Bath Melts
Bath melts are solid discs of cocoa butter or shea butter blended with oils and essential oils. When dropped into warm bathwater, they melt and disperse, leaving the water silky and the skin moisturised. They are particularly effective in winter.
The process is straightforward. Melt cocoa butter or shea butter gently in a double boiler, stir in a small amount of carrier oil and essential oils, pour into silicone moulds, and refrigerate until solid. Each melt should be about 30-40g.
Cocoa Butter and Orange Bath Melt
This is my favourite winter bath product. The cocoa butter is intensely moisturising, and the sweet orange essential oil gives it a warm, uplifting scent that suits cold evenings.
Recipe (makes 6 melts)
- Cocoa butter: 150g
- Sweet almond oil: 30ml
- Sweet orange essential oil: 20 drops
- Vanilla essential oil: 5 drops
Melt the cocoa butter in a double boiler over low heat. Remove from heat, stir in the almond oil and essential oils, and pour into silicone moulds. Refrigerate for at least two hours. Store in a cool place; cocoa butter softens at room temperature in summer.
Storage and Shelf Life
Bath salts stored in airtight glass jars last six months or longer. Milk bath blends should be used within three months because the milk powder can absorb moisture over time. Bath melts keep for up to a year if stored in a cool, dry place, thanks to the natural stability of cocoa butter.
Label everything with the date you made it. This sounds unnecessary until you find an unlabelled jar six months later and cannot remember what is in it or when you made it.
Where to Find Ingredients in Hungary
Budapest's Nagycsarnok (Great Market Hall) carries dried herbs, honey, and some of the carrier oils you need. For Epsom salt and other bath-specific ingredients, any pharmacy (gyogyszertab) will have the basics. Organic shops in the Jewish Quarter stock a wider range of specialty ingredients. For online ordering, the Herbaria website has an extensive selection of dried herbs and essential oils with delivery across Hungary.